After 15 years of planning, a major effort to rebuild Reston Town Center North is moving to its final approval hurdle following a unanimous 11-0 recommendation by the Fairfax County Planning Commission on July 22. Led jointly by Fairfax County and Inova Health System, the project covers 47.9 acres across 11 blocks, transforming aging civic buildings and irregular parcels into a transit-oriented core.

The Board of Supervisors will hold its public hearing and final vote on Sept. 15.

“The rezoning coming to the Board includes the future road network and a central green,” said Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn after the vote. He noted it serves as a "necessary precursor" for future site-specific rezonings for a new Reston Regional Library, a replacement Embry Rucker homeless shelter, and other critical county facilities.

If approved, land swaps will allow Phase 1 site preparation to begin in late 2026. Construction will prioritize anchor public facilities — the new library, relocated shelter, and an initial 3.5-acre Central Green park — targeted for completion between 2029 and 2030. Inova will build the Central Green to an interim condition during this first phase.

"The urgency that is on everybody to deliver that library and that shelter is acute," Timothy Sampson, legal representative for the joint application, told commissioners during the meeting. "With the plan that is proposed now, we have a framework for going into site plan and public improvement plan, which the county intends to do this fall."

Franconia District Commissioner Mary Cortina praised the extensive public outreach, noting the plan "has been thoroughly vetted with the community" and thanking stakeholders for their effort.

Beyond the initial public facilities, later phases call for Inova to build up to 1,000 residential units across three blocks along Fountain Drive, aligned with the updated Comprehensive Plan. These phases also accommodate up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space, a replacement human services building, an expanded Central Green, and sites reserved for an elementary school and recreation center.

Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter noted that while the project replaces a former strip shopping center with a modern civic hub, full buildout will span decades. 

"At the last CIP they delayed it a year, so now instead of 2049, it's 2050," Carter said.